Mama Zhang looked displeased and reluctantly explained, "No, there are still many things to prepare. This servant..."
"Then wait and prepare them later. Come here and do my hair first. I've just recovered from my illness and still feel a bit unwell. I'll set off later."
Mama Zhang had no choice but to walk up to Shi Ning'an, take the comb, and start doing her hair half - heartedly. Looking at the young lady so closely, her heart couldn't help pounding. Such a beautiful girl, if dressed up, might be even more charming than the eldest young lady.
No, this can't be. Mama Zhang woke herself up. The madam had sent her to pick up the young lady in order to discipline her well. She couldn't let the young lady outshine others or be too smart.
Everything had been fine before. The young lady had trusted her so much. But after just one night, the young lady seemed to have changed. There was a sense of detachment on her face, and her eyes were as calm as an ancient well, with a touch of vicissitude.
Mama Zhang shook her head, thinking she must be hallucinating.
Just then, Mama Zhang's hand trembled. She pulled out a strand of Shi Ning'an's hair a bit too hard. Shi Ning'an frowned in pain and looked up at Mama Zhang unhappily through the bronze mirror.
Mama Zhang was stunned and quickly apologized, "Young lady, this servant didn't mean to."
"Clumsy." Shi Ning'an scolded. "Is this how the maids in Father's mansion serve? Forget it, Lu'er, you do it."
Mama Zhang handed the comb to Lu'er aggrievedly and stared at the young lady resentfully. She was just careless. How could she be called clumsy?
Shi Ning'an remained calm. It didn't take much effort to suppress such a woman. She hadn't understood this in her past life, but after spending more than a decade in the capital, she was no longer the young girl who had just left Nanling.
However, Lu'er was still a young girl. She was afraid that Mama Zhang would get angry. She quickly dressed up the young lady and then eagerly helped her out.
Only then did Mama Zhang rush to order breakfast and tell the servants to prepare the carriage.
Shi Ning'an didn't even lift her eyelids. "You served the madam in the past, but from now on, since you're here with me, you must follow my rules. Don't let me see such a flustered look again."
Mama Zhang hesitated for a moment and then replied carefully, "Yes."
Lu'er was a bit confused. Why did Mama Zhang seem different all of a sudden? No, it wasn't Mama Zhang who had changed. It was her own young lady.
When Mama Zhang went to prepare the carriage, she felt quite annoyed. How could she be intimidated by a little girl? No, no. She must find a way to turn the situation around later, or this little girl would become too presumptuous.
However, once Shi Ning'an got into the carriage, she leaned against the carriage wall and closed her eyes to rest. She didn't listen to Mama Zhang's lectures while enduring discomfort like in the previous days.
Mama Zhang looked for several opportunities to speak first but finally gave up.
Shi Ning'an didn't rest for long. The sunlight outside the carriage was nice. It shone in through the gap in the carriage curtain, creating a hazy light that occasionally shone on Shi Ning'an's face and woke her up.
She opened her eyes, seemed to be in a daze for a while, and then quickly came to her senses. She reached out to lift the carriage curtain and looked outside. The spring scenery was beautiful. The small forest beside was densely shaded, and the winter jasmine along the road was in full bloom. The green leaves and the tender yellow flowers complemented each other perfectly.
It would be even more pleasing to the eye if the branches were trimmed neatly by a craftsman.
Thinking this, Shi Ning'an waved her hand and shouted, "Stop the carriage."
Mama Zhang showed her dissatisfaction, but secretly she was delighted. Finally, she had a chance to give the young lady a good lecture. She quickly pressed Shi Ning'an, who was about to stand up, back onto the seat. "Miss, don't you know that you can't just get off the carriage while on the road? Which of the young ladies in the capital isn't delicate and well - bred at home? Your action..."
Shi Ning'an looked at her calmly without saying a word. The invisible pressure made Mama Zhang's voice gradually fade away until she couldn't say anything.
"I'm not a delicate young lady raised in the capital."
Shi Ning'an reached out to push open the carriage curtain. The young girl's fingertips were fair and there was a thin layer of calluses on them. She didn't need anyone to help her and got off the carriage by herself. After hesitating for a moment, Lu'er quickly followed her.
Besides the winter jasmine, the camellias and roses along the road were also in full bloom, presenting a riot of colors.
Lu'er followed behind the young lady, tilting her head and thinking that the young lady had become colder after this illness. She used to listen to what Mama Zhang said, but now she ignored her.
But that was only towards others. The young lady was still as kind to her as before.
She was simple - minded. She skipped to the roadside, picked a pink rose, and put it in the young lady's hair. Then she clapped her hands happily and said, "Miss, you're so beautiful. You're the most beautiful person I've ever seen."
Mama Zhang, who was following behind, deeply agreed. Then she quickly shook her head. An alarm bell rang in her heart. The most beautiful girl was clearly the eldest young lady in the capital. She was a peerless beauty with both charm and talent. The young lady in front of her only had a slightly better appearance and couldn't be considered truly beautiful.
Thinking this, she sneered and said, "You're so naive. There are many beautiful young ladies in the capital. For example, the eldest young lady in the mansion is unique and is known as the number one talented lady in the capital."
Lu'er pouted unhappily. But Mama Zhang was very fierce, so she didn't dare to provoke her and could only grumble silently.
Shi Ning'an looked up and asked, "Who is the eldest young lady?"
Mama Zhang was stunned and subconsciously replied, "It's Miss Shi Qingmei. You should call her elder sister. This servant has told you about her before..."
Shi Ning'an nodded. "Oh, I'm the eldest legitimate daughter in the family. Shi Qingmei is just a cousin. I thought you would call her Cousin Miss. That's why I didn't remember for a moment."
Mama Zhang was a bit unhappy. "She is the madam's daughter. The master also said that she is just like his own daughter."
"She's still a cousin. After all, she's not the master's own daughter, right?"
Shi Ning'an looked at her with an unarguable expression.
Mama Zhang lowered her head and didn't argue anymore.
Shi Ning'an walked forward a few steps. There were some unknown wildflowers in the forest. Maybe because they were blocked by the dense forest, they weren't particularly beautiful.
She found a big rock to sit on and motioned for Lu'er to sit with her. Then she looked up at Mama Zhang and asked, "Tell me something about Shi Qingmei."
Mama Zhang was even more unhappy. Lu'er was sitting, but she, the steward mama, had to stand aside. It was a bit inappropriate. She wanted to scold, but in the end, she obediently replied.
"For a girl, appearance is secondary. The most important thing is knowledge and insight. The eldest young lady is proficient in all kinds of arts such as music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Her knowledge and literary talent are also first - class. She truly deserves the title of the number one talented lady. As for her appearance, the eldest young lady is in no way inferior to others. When you return to the mansion, you should learn from the eldest young lady."
Shi Ning'an laughed. "Learn from her? What should I learn?"
In her past life, everyone had told her how dignified and generous Shi Qingmei was, and that she, a girl raised in the countryside, couldn't compare with her. She should learn from Shi Qingmei. Yes, she had tried so hard to be like Shi Qingmei and be praised by others. But in the end?
She had just worked for others in vain.
Mama Zhang was stunned. Of course, it was to learn the eldest young lady's words and deeds.
Shi Ning'an said calmly, "She was born in the capital, while I grew up in Nanling. She has her own habits, and I have my own way of life. Why should I learn from her?"
Mama Zhang pulled a long face. "But you're about to arrive in the capital soon."
Shi Ning'an asked, "When I arrive in the capital, will I no longer be a girl raised in Nanling?"
Mama Zhang was speechless.
Shi Ning'an stood up. "Alright, let's go back."
Mama Zhang was dissatisfied. She stepped forward and said, "Miss, you haven't seen the young ladies in the capital. The eldest young lady is the best among them. Which ordinary girl doesn't want to learn a bit from her?"
Shi Ning'an stopped and turned around. Her face turned cold. "Do you mean that I'm an ordinary girl?"
Mama Zhang realized that she had said something wrong and quickly shook her head. "This servant means..."
But Shi Ning'an didn't wait for her to answer. "Or do you think that the upbringing of the great - aunt is too inferior?"
She turned around and said calmly, "We're on the road, so it's not convenient to punish you. I'll save it for later. When we return to the mansion, you'll receive your punishment."
Mama Zhang was stunned. She couldn't believe it and asked, "Miss, are you going to punish this servant? This servant used to be the madam's trusted mama and was assigned here by the master."
Shi Ning'an frowned. "Do you mean that even if you make a mistake, I can't punish you?"
Mama Zhang didn't dare to say a word. After all, the young lady was the master and she was the servant. How could she say that the master couldn't punish the servant? But as the young lady's tutor mama, was it a bit too much for the young lady to scold her in front of the maids and guards?
She never thought that it was really too much for her to disrespect the master in front of everyone on this journey.
"Forget it. Since I can't punish you, when we return to the mansion, you can go back to the madam on your own."
Only then was Mama Zhang anxious. She quickly knelt down and pleaded for forgiveness. "Miss, please don't be angry. It's this old servant's overstepping. This old servant offended you. Please forgive me."
Shi Ning'an's eyebrows softened a bit. "Alright. Considering that this is your first offense, just receive your punishment when we get back."
Mama Zhang was indignant. If she weren't afraid of the madam's blame, why would she endure the anger of this country bumpkin? But for now, she had to endure it no matter what.
Shi Ning'an had walked up to the carriage. The coachman quickly moved the small stool over, preparing for Lu'er to help the young lady get into the carriage.
Just then, they heard noisy screams coming from the forest. Soon, they saw a girl in a pink dress running over while screaming.
Her hair was in a mess, and her clothes were disheveled. There was dirt on the hem of her clothes, and leaves and twigs were hanging on it.
Maybe seeing that there were people here, the girl's eyes lit up. She rushed forward and threw herself at Shi Ning'an's feet, hugging her leg and crying desperately.
"Benefactor, please save me. Benefactor, please save me."
Shi Ning'an looked up and saw five big men holding big knives. They were standing fiercely at the edge of the forest, staring at their group menacingly.
Even though Shi Ning'an had been reborn, she had never seen such a scene before. She couldn't help but shrink back in fear.